I'd like to request an expansion on the profiles feature in MetaFilter

July 4, 2000 9:21 PM

Profiles... It just occurred to me that I need a scorecard to keep track of everyone in here. I'd like to request an expansion on the profiles feature in MetaFilter. [more]
posted by ZachsMind to Feature Requests at 9:21 PM (7 comments total)

I'm brainstorming here so please bare with me. I understand that to get more in depth information about any given poster, all I do is click on their name in MetaFilter, then I click on their homepage if they have one, and most people do I guess. Or if I want to talk to them directly there's usually an email link. That's cool. But perhaps what would be nice is some of the following.

Where it presently says "(your name here) has posted X links and X comments to MetaFilter" maybe there could be a search link in the words "links" and "comments" so I could get a readymade list of every comment or post this person has made to MetaFilter. So I could get an overview of what their interests and opinions are. I think presently I can do that by going to search and typing in that person's name, but a way to get only that person's posts or only a list of posts that person has commented on would be cool.

Maybe an option in a person's "customize" section would allow them to expand on what shows up in this page. A brief bio perhaps. Likes and dislikes. Not too detailed cuz for more detailed stuff you go to their webpage. Just a brief overview of who the person is would be nice.

Or maybe (this would be dangerous but also neato) other people could write something and it would appear on that person's page. Like, "this guy sucks don't read anything he says!" or "This person RULES." Okay. Hopefully the statements will be more thoughtful, though I doubt it.

Depending on how someone is viewed in the MetaFilter community, that page could turn into either a flamefest or a bunch of mushy praise. At best it would be something in between. I'd imagine a lot of people would go gaga over Kottke's Profile (myself included although I'm sure he thinks I'm a jerk). I just think overall it would help give people a sorta 'face to the name' kinda thing.

It would allow people a better chance to understand where that person is coming from overall, and other people could weigh in their opinion of that person's opinion, for good or bad.

Well maybe that would suck. I guess my point is I'd like to see the Profiles pages in MetaFilter give more of a subjective profile of the person whose opinions and interests we're seeing glimpses of each time they chime in. So it helps to give a more cohesive picture of each participant, and the community as a whole.

Right now a profile only gives the webpage, email, and a one sentence description of how active they've been. I'd just like that fleshed out a bit more somehow. Anyone agree? Disagree? Disregard? Have a better idea? Please share it.
posted by ZachsMind at 9:36 PM on July 4, 2000

... aren't the discussion threads there to give people a place to share their opinions about other people's opinions?

I don't think "comment on this user's general worth as a person" is at all a good idea.
posted by Sapphireblue at 12:21 AM on July 5, 2000

I thought this was what a personal website was for. If you want to find out about me go to my website. I think most everyone here has one. I have enough headaches maintaining that. Now I need to maintain something here at MeFi? And people can talk trash about me with no context?

I would like to cast my vote for "No Thank You"
posted by y6y6y6 at 8:56 PM on July 5, 2000

I was thinking about a free form text area, which would be "tell us how you got your interesting nickname" or conversely for those with unimaginitive screen names "say something about yourself."

I could easily do icq/AIM/YahooMessenger integration, but I don't know if people want to bug each other in an instant fashion, and I doubt very many people would put their instant contact info out there for the world to see (although I do on my personal site, and I only get 2 or 3 wackjobs* a week icqing me for no reason).

I could do the link to every top level link post by a person, that one's easy, jumping to their comments would be a bit tougher. Should it jump to the top of the thread they commented on, or to the comment itself?

* - I was joking, I've actually met quite a few nice people that randomly icq'd me.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:39 PM on July 5, 2000

Newbie input => The "link to prior contributions" idea sounds great, but I'd also like to second Zach's suggestion for some kind of user-submitted profile text. I'd gladly contribute and would appreciate reading others'. Even if, as has been pointed out, people have personal websites, they don't always have the succinct, directed "here's who I am" kind of page. Granted, you "learn" people as you go along, and maybe that's part of the... uhm... "fun"... of MetaFilter, but still --
posted by m.polo at 7:49 AM on July 6, 2000

I remember when wired threads had such profile pages. I never know what to say about myself, except "Anita is a web worker who lives in Seattle. "
posted by anitar at 8:33 PM on July 6, 2000

The user page's functionality could be turned on or off, and the default could be off. If you want to 'keep up' with the page, you post something to it. If you wanted people to be able to write to your page, you could opt to turn that on. Nothing would have to be required. It could be an option but it'd just be for fun.

And the weblink to someone's homepage would still be prominent. Think of it as a teaser to your homepage.
posted by ZachsMind at 9:41 PM on July 11, 2000